Nato warning over Afghan mission
Nato's head warns that abandoning the alliance's mission in Afghanistan would have a 'devastating' effect.

Main Mumbai suspect pleads guilty
The leading suspect in last November's deadly attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai switches his plea to guilty.

US and India agree defence pact
The US and India agree a defence pact which will speed up the sale of advanced American weaponry to India.

US to add 22,000 troops to army
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates announces that the US army will temporarily increase in size by 22,000 troops.

Sri Lanka agrees $2.5bn IMF loan
Sri Lanka agrees a $2.5bn loan from the International Monetary Fund to help it weather the global economic crisis.

US seeks Afghan prison overhaul
A US military review is calling for the overhaul of the entire Afghan prison system, Pentagon officials say.

Monsoon chaos sweeps South Asia
Scores are killed by flash floods in Orissa, as an uneven monsoon brings chaos across the subcontinent.

India court upholds conviction
A court in the Indian capital Delhi upholds the conviction of Sanjeev Nanda, the son of a wealthy Indian arms dealer in a notorious hit and run case.

Gunmen ambush Pakistan police
Gunmen ambush a police patrol van in north-west Pakistan, killing four officers, officials say.

Making history - Afghan climbers scale country's highest peak
Two Afghan mountaineers make history by climbing the country's highest peak, Mount Noshaq in the Hindu Kush.

FROM BBC SPORT >>
Pakistan checked by late collapse
Pakistan lose three wickets in eight balls to close day one of the final Test with Sri Lanka on 289-7.

Life lessons
Karachi sex workers talk health and safety

Headless cause
Who can lead Tamils now Tigers are defeated?

Diplomatic test
Hillary Clinton's balancing act in India

Widows' wrath
Nepali women's anger at cash marriage incentive

Four US troops die in Afghanistan
Four US soldiers have been killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, Nato and US officials say.

India court reviews gay sex order
India's Supreme Court refuses to put on hold a landmark high court ruling which decriminalised gay sex.

RAF pair safe after Afghan crash
A Nato fighter jet crashes at an airbase in southern Afghanistan, a day after a civilian helicopter crash at the same base.

Probe into India leader attack
Authorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh announce an investigation into the burning of the house of a senior politician.

US names soldier in Taliban video
The Pentagon identifies a US soldier shown in a Taliban video as a 23-year-old private captured in Afghanistan last month.

Afghan helicopter crash kills 16
A civilian helicopter crashes in south Afghanistan killing at least 16 people, with Nato saying it was not shot down.

Pakistan rains kill at least 26
At least 26 people die in heavy monsoon rain in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, officials say.

First Nano owner gets keys to car
The first owner of the world's cheapest car, the Tata Nano, takes possession of his vehicle in the Indian city of Mumbai.

UK rail inquiries moving to India
All calls to the UK's National Rail Enquiries Service will be handled by Indian call centres from next March, the BBC learns.

Pride and struggle
Plight of displaced on Pakistan's other frontline

History repeat in Afghanistan?
Will history end up repeating itself in Afghanistan?

Eclipse fever in India village
Why an obscure Indian village is in the limelight

Swat diary: 'Taliban defeated'
Stories of defeated militants bring new hope